Our Everyday Dual Duel

I know the title is making your mind stretch but bear with me... A duel is 'a fight between two entities', whilst a dual means 'two parts or elements of something' (1).

Everyday we fight our very own unique dual duel. We have a fight that consists of two parts that seemingly fight itself. What do I mean by this? Well let's break it down...

The Duel

Even on the good days we are fighting for something. Despite if we are aware of it or not, we wake up each day on a battlefield. Paul warns us against the dangers of becoming worldly in Romans 12:2, he writes, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will"(NIV). Conforming to this world will be the death of us, whereas following God's will for us brings us life. Paul is not the only biblical author that heeds us against such a lifestyle. In John 3:17 we are told that "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" (NIV). Our only hope is Jesus, and Jesus alone. To fight this fight we must be equipped with the "full armor of God"(Ephesians 6:11, NIV).

The duel we are fighting is us vs. the world and not falling victim to the flashy things that tear our eyes off of God. The world is designed to test us, beat us, and trick us, but the good news is-- We don't have to do it alone! God is with us every step of the way and works everything for our good. It is crucial for us to know that this battle is happening and we have to be focused on our only hope.

The Dual

Our battle is hard, and leaves us often times feeling defeated, when in reality we are victorious. This is the dual of our battle, the two parts that seemingly contradict each other. Even when it looks like you've lost it all, or have lost, our God says that you've actually won. You may be thinking, "wait-- so the battles ongoing, I'm in it right now, but I've won?" I know it's crazy, in fact it is ludacris, but our God knows no boundaries, especially with time. Our battle is not becoming of the world, and the dual of our battle is perceiving defeat, but actually winning. In the first part of 1 Corinthians 13:12 (KJV) Paul writes, "For now we see through a glass, darkly...", meaning that we don't see things as they really are. Our perception of the world is wrong, and we also need to be aware of that.

In a situation where it looks like you've lost everything, by turning to God you gain everything. Our time here on earth is short, very short, and because we see through a dark glass we like to think that we're invincible because we've made it thus far. Don't take today for granted, and don't waste today. Say no to conforming to the crowd, and say yes to God's will.

Summary

The duel is fighting not to conform to the world

The dual of the duel, or the two parts of it, is being seemingly defeated, but already having found victory in Jesus Christ.

A Message from the Author:

I hope that the message God put on my heart shone clearly to you as you read this! If not, I'd love to chat! You can log in and leave me a comment or send me an email sownhomegrown@gmail.com. I hope you have a great rest of the day, God bless! ~Leena

Citations

YouVersion the Bible App

(1) Writingexplained.org